The Week in Review

In Memoriam: Sidney Harman who co-founded Harman/Kardon, the audio company later known as Harman, died on Tuesday. He was 92 and suffered from acute myeloid leukemia. Born in Montreal in 1918, he moved to New York with his family. As a young man, he sold loudspeakers before entering the Army. In 1953, he and Bernard Kardon founded Harman/Kardon, which became an instant success. Kardon retired in 1958. Harman later sold the company when he began working for the government, serving as deputy secretary of commerce in the Carter Administration. He later bought the company back and renamed it Harman International Industries. On the professional side, the company grew into an industry powerhouse, with a variety of brands that includes AKG, Crown, JBL, Soundcraft, and Studer, among others. A philanthropist in the arts, Harman donated $20 million to the ,b>Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, for the construction of Sidney Harman Hall. More recently, he purchased the troubled magazine Newsweek and put it together with the growing web site The Daily Beast.

Harman is survived by his wife, Jane, a former member of the House of Representatives, six children, two stepchildren, and ten grandchildren Harman International has released the following statement: "On behalf of the employees and the Board of Harman International, it is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Harman founder and chairman emeritus Sidney Harman. "His legacy of leading-edge innovation and premium quality will continue to live on at Harman and I am grateful to Dr. Harman for the trust he placed in the company's management to carry on his legacy" said Harman chairman, president, and CEO, Dinesh Paliwal. "He will be remembered for his great charm, his curiosity, his philanthropic and public service interests, his genuine kindness to employees and customers alike. Our employees join us in sending our deepest sympathies to his family."

Intiman Theatre Closes for Rest of Season: The following message has appeared on the website of Seattle's Intiman Theatre: "The Board of Trustees votes to cancel the 2011 season following All My Sons "As many of you know, the past several months have been extremely challenging for Intiman Theatre. While we recently announced that the initial Impact Intiman campaign benchmark was met and that we were launching our strategic planning phase of the campaign, the reality of our financial situation has made it necessary to reevaluate the potential for the current season.

"As much as we had hoped to conduct a strategic plan while operating, it is evident that we need to close the 2011 season following the final performance of All My Sons on April 17. With our current income limitations there's no alternative.

"Our primary intent has and continues to be to preserve the future of Intiman-- and our hope was to save the season, too. Simultaneous efforts to accomplish both are simply unattainable. While we are driven by that 'show must go on' kind of determination, we must ensure that shows go on the Intiman stage for years and that can only happen if we pause, plan, and prepare for strong seasons in 2012 and beyond.

"By canceling the current season, we preserve and protect the ability to serve the community in 2012, when the board intends to reopen the theatre and continue Intiman's history of presenting this community with engaging art. We are still working through details of how this impacts our constituents and will have more information available in the next week. All ticket holders will receive information in the coming days.

"The open support from the community has been very heartwarming. We know you want us to continue and we are grateful for your generosity during this time of repair and regrouping.

"We are in the process of figuring out what will be needed for long-term viability. We will continue to communicate with our community in this process. We appreciate the patrons who have supported us during this time and we look forward to seeing you all again when the theatre returns."

Work Begins on Shanghai Disneyland: Groundbreaking has begun on a new $3.7 billion Disney park in Shanghai, China, The Los Angeles Times reports. This is a defining moment in our company's history," said Disney CEO Robert Iger, adding that the park would be "both authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese." The Times adds, 'Its construction comes as the sometimes maligned Hong Kong Disney park is undergoing significant expansion to offset criticism that the site was too small and didn't feature enough attractions.": It also notes, "The resort will be co-managed with Disney's joint venture partner, Shanghai Shendi Group, a conglomerate of government-owned companies that hold a 57% stake in the project set to open in 2014."